By accident and lessons learnt with grudging
difficulty, we have most of these plants in our garden. Now we are tackling the
bits that didn’t work. The Ungardener is working on the dry sunny bit between
the ash trees and Ungardening Pond – which is in your face as you cross the
verandah to But it’s NOT A Garden!! A second neighbour has donated his spekboom
Portulacaria afra cuttings to our
garden. And we have taken cuttings to our new garden in False Bay.

Lichen encrusted spekboom at Addo

As seen in Addo with real elephants,Spekboom
comes from the Eastern Cape with its summer rainfall. It is a tough
succulent with small leaves, eminently able to thrive here despite our hot dry
mediterranean summer. Given time the shrubby plants grow into small trees
amongst which it is hard to see the elephants, until they come to the waterhole
or cross the road.

Elephants eating spekboom at Addo

From yearinthewild at Baviaanskloof. Spekboom produces a huge amount of leaf
litter – incredibly, as much as wet forest ecosystems! It is this massive
amount of leaf litter which allows other plants to grow and thrive in a
semi-arid region. The rich organic soil which is generated sustains plenty of
life, including herds of buffalo and eland.

The spekboom veld is able to create its own micro climate, in which
thousands of other species can live. But if it is overgrazed, and the soil is
damaged, it has disastrous consequences, as the whole system collapses and
desert conditions will eventually prevail. The rainfall here is notoriously
variable, and temperatures can soar in summer.

This ecosystem collapse has
happened on a lot of farms which border the river in the valley.

Our elephant in his spekboom forest

We went to the Baviaanskloof in November 2010
where we saw the thicket restoration project. Carbon sequestration as part of
our response to battling global weirding.

Spekboom at Elephant's Eye Light Railway

As the elephants chomp happily on
whole branches, so you too can nibble a few lemony-sour leaves. These are
plants which don’t sulk and fade when an elephant knocks a branch to the
ground. Even a little cluster of leaves landing on the ground will grow. Once
you have established plants, you have a ready supply of bits to spread around.

Growing across and over the path, volunteer cuttings of spekboom

For the Dozen for Diana meme return with me to
your imaginary empty small garden.

1. A newly cleared bed where the tree came down?

2. Choose plants that you know will
grow happily in your climate and soil!

This is interesting Diana - we don't need much in the way of pioneer plants here, though sweetpeas and beans are always good because of the added nitrates. The sandy soils of High Weald (not really high - just not the thick clay of the Low Weald)are low in nutrients and there the Silver Birch is the pioneer par excellence. The leaf litter it drops is ready food for Birch Boletes which it lives with in symbiosis. These scavenge very effectively for nutrients which they pass back to the trees building up the nutrient levels in the upper layers.

Diana I love this plant...how it can sprout from stems that drop to the ground...I was surprised to see elephants eating it...we don't see anything larger than a deer so it was different...I can see where the ecosystem is so fragile for you. I love plants you can eat too.

Sounds like a vital plant for the landscape. The leaf litter part is really important. When we, the people, start messing with the ecosystems....especially along the rivers....we have the ability to destroy what has grown there for thousands of years. The Amazon is the exact same way....that leaf litter, etc is important for keeping the ground moist and rich....without the shade or trees, the place would turn into a desert environment. Fun shot of the elephant.:) These plants are important to the health of our individual ecosystems.

You won't believe this - I was at Stodels today and in the short time I was there I saw three people put Spekboom in their trolleys. I bet it was your post that sent people shopping for it!!

I've never really taken note of this shrub and will take another look now. It looks fabulous in your photos and I liked what I saw today. Lovely choice & thanks for introducing me to another fabulous South African plant!

I enjoyed seeing your photos and a glimpse of the railway! I was unfamiliar with spekboom until reading this post. Very interesting, and points out how important particular species can be. It reminds me that we all are interconnected, with each part playing a vital role.

Diana, now you've sent me on a research kick to find pioneer species for New Mexico. An obstacle I've run up against in an urban setting is that the close walls change the environment--there's not enough light for most desert plants, but too much heat and not enough moisture for more montane/riparian ones. Blue grama grass seems to be my best pioneer choice so far (though some ecologists consider it a climax species, too!).

The vibrant green of your spekboom is wonderful--that color is all too rare in an arid climate. Enjoyed all the information about it, as well as your elephants, large and small.

A great post Diana, I'm beginning to understand that English gardeners really don't understand the necessity for use of natives, pioneers etc. even with a hosepipe ban already in SE England most plants will grow everywhere. It is never too cold, never too hot and even if there isn't rain there is mist and humidity. I'm going to follow your lead and discover more about pioneers in my area. Love the elephants! Christina

those pioneers give a lot back for seemingly little effort oot! Such a natural looking garden Diana, the elephants will soon stop by for a graze on your succulent Spekboomp.s. have not gone native but Franco-Japanese this time

Diana, thank you--it's so kind of you to ask! The wind is strong here (38 mph sustained winds, gusts to 65 mph), but the hatches have been battened down and all is well. The photo you sent was taken just a couple of miles from my house.

Fascinating post - and like everyone I loved the shot of the elephants eating spekboom. In New Delhi we only see them working and being fed fruit. I remember studying pioneer plants when I was in the US, but have no idea what they might be here on the dry plains of north India. I shall be following Stacy and Christina in doing some research.

Diana: I learned a lot from this post. Thanks so much! I didn't know anything about Spekboom before this. I just finished up the "Lessons Learned" wrap-up late last night. I'm glad you found it! Thanks for info about the rankings! And thanks again for joining in the meme! I will post my "plant of the month" on Friday.

The concepts of nurse trees and pioneer plants were unknown to me till I read this article. I actually had figured out for myself the function of nurse trees and have been planting several recently without giving them that title. For people like us who are trying to establish sustainable naturalized gardens that are part of healthy ecosystems, pioneer plants are essential. Thinking of that book Rambunctious Garden, I think they don't strictly need to be indigenous. Great post. Great elephants.

Fascinating article. I'm originally from Southern California and now living in Sweden for 6 years. Wanting to move away from this climate and a back to the heat. I'm a desert rat at heart.

The plant you referenced is commonly grown in so-Cal, but you never know or appreciate where from. I just posted on a few traditionally grown plants in So-Cal that actuallt hail from the Canary Islands, Canary Island Pines, for which I understand some places in South Afirca have gotten away as a weed of sorts in the mountains there if I'm correct. And of course their native Date Palm

Love the reference to nurse plants. I actually have three blogs and one is dedicated to what I call the Earth's Internet, which deals with mycorrhizal relationships of all sorts. Certainly nurse plants will be a major subject down the road once I get past some more basics.

Thanks for your blog. I'll check regularly. Looking forward to any info on African Acacias. I'm interested in Savanah and desert restoration projects and work with alot of African students here.